


A Fistful of Credits

by Elywyngirlie



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: 19th century AU, Cowboys AU, Dusty af, F/M, Mercenaries, Reylo Charity Anthology, Secret Identities, Share a room trope, Spies, Swearing, potential dubcon, surprise AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-25
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-16 06:16:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 12,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17544305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elywyngirlie/pseuds/Elywyngirlie
Summary: Kylo Ren, lead mercenary for the Knights of Ren, is traveling across the dusty Texas Plains in the 19th century when he meets the most engaging of creatures--a young boy named Rey. Due to a rising storm, they must share an inn’s only available room.And Kylo discovers, quite by accident, that Rey isn’t a boy at all. She’s a girl. A wildly attractive, enticing, enchanting girl. And one that he will do anything to make his own.Published Nov 2018 as part of the Reylo Charity Anthology





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was included in the Reylo Charity anthology last year. The anthology raised over 4,000 for wonderful organizations to improve lives and to fight for civil rights.
> 
> This is designed as fun, tropey piece. 
> 
> Many thanks to angstywritersangst for beta'ing! 
> 
> It's done so I'll post a chapter every day or so.

The urchin glared up at Kylo, dirt smears made streaky on the boy’s face as he rubbed a surprisingly delicate hand over his forehead. 

 

“You’ve got to be kriffin’ kiddin’ me,” the boy growled at the innkeeper who merely shrugged his massive shoulders. 

 

“It’s a big dust storm and you’ve got a cattle ride coming through. I’m the only inn until Abilene. Take it or leave it.” Another shrug punctuated his apathy to their plight. If they didn’t take it, someone else surely would. A cursory glance out the window showed a tumbleweed barreling down the dusty street, horses nickering in fear as their hostlers hurried them to a stable. It was not quite two but the skies were threateningly dark. 

 

“I’ll take it,” Kylo grunted, flicking his eyes over the lithe boy. 

 

He appeared to pout for a moment before jutting his chin out. “I’m fine with these damned arrangements,” he replied and the innkeeper held out his hand for the credits. Both men handed him the expected currency and he jerked a thumb toward the bar. 

 

“Have some grub while we clean up a room for you,” the innkeeper pointed behind them at the dining area before shuffling off. 

 

The two men studied each other as they took a seat at a table near the bar.  Kylo requested a whiskey while the boy ordered a beer. 

 

“Piss water,” the boy muttered after he took a sip. 

 

Kylo chuckled and the boy shot him a snappish look. 

 

“You’ve got quite a mouth on you,” Kylo rumbled as he politely dabbed his own with his handkerchief. He raised his hand and a woman hustled over. It was clear she was the innkeeper’s wife from her disheveled gown but spry grin. 

 

“What you need?” she brushed a curl of greying brown hair behind an ear and put a hand on her swinging hips.

 

“What do you have for food today, ma’am?” Kylo inquired, his voice low and even. Despite his chosen profession as a Knight of Ren, his mother’s training was drilled into him. Besides, he had discovered that politeness curried far more favors than his blade at someone’s neck. 

 

Most of the time, anyways. 

 

“Roast veal, steak pie, corn bread, coffee, and the usual.” She gestured toward the array of bottles and Kylo politely ordered the veal, bread, and another whiskey. He was surprised when the boy, aping Kylo’s manners, requested the steak pie and a coffee. 

 

“So, you gotta a name?” Kylo began. 

 

“Do we really need to do this?” the boy gritted his teeth and glanced away.

 

“I would prefer to know the name of the person sharing my bed,” Kylo dryly replied. A sharp grin split the boy’s face and Kylo’s brows lifted at the gamine beauty that followed it. What a strange boy, he thought. 

 

“My name’s Rey,” he answered, holding out his a hand. Kylo took it, the callouses on the palms as familiar as his own. 

 

“Kylo Ren.” 

 

The boy quickly drew back, wide eyed.

 

“Not  _ the _ Kylo Ren?” The words carried a whisper of fear. 

 

The Knights of Ren’s fame had reached this far then, Kylo thought, at the edges of America. He was well known in the East and they had garnered a reputation of men who would do anything in the Midwest. He hadn’t expected the stories to travel all the way down to the Texas Mexico border so soon. 

 

It might make his job more difficult, however, if the stories had reached his quarry. 

 

Recognizing that the boy was waiting for a response,  Kylo cocked a brow at him and took a small sip of his whiskey. He could play at being mentor to this child, he thought. 

 

“My reputation precedes me.” He didn’t sound as humble as he had hoped. 

 

“And a complete accident, I’m sure.” The sarcasm in Rey’s  voice was surprising. Most men began to quake in their boots. But he seemed to be not quite twenty, still blessed with the belligerence and over confidence of youth.  

 

Kylo shrugged. “It’s easier if people think you are invincible. They surrender quickly. Makes my job easier.” He nodded to Rey’s getup: dirt stained trousers, a weathered shirt, and a decent revolver strapped to his slender hip. “And yourself?”

 

“This and that,” Rey glanced briefly out the window with a tight smile. “Right now I’m drifting north, looking for work.” 

 

The glib response was smooth and practiced; easy work for a liar. Kylo kept his observations to himself, his manner light and slightly withdrawn, per expectations he surmised, as they shared dinner. He gathered bits of information from Rey as they ate: he was from the Jakku wastelands out in New Mexico; he had heard of opportunities for ranch hands in the north; he preferred coffee; and he hated gambling. 

 

Probably because he’s been dirt poor his whole life, Kylo reflected, as he polished off his meal. 

 

Rey was dragging a biscuit through the gravy on his plate, a forlorn look crossing his face as he stuffed the last bit in his mouth. He could use a bit more weight, Kylo thought critically, as he ordered a piece of pie for him and one for Rey. Rey eyed him strangely for one moment, obviously distrusting the friendly overture. But not enough to stop himself from finishing the pie in three quick bites.

Outside the wind howled and beat furiously against the windows. Dirt skittered under the windowpane and the door. It was pitch black before four o’clock and Kylo worried his lip between his teeth. He didn’t know how long the storm would last. 

 

“Should be done by tomorrow morning, although, if you’re riding north, you’ll just be following it,” Rey offered softly. Kylo eyed him and gave a curt nod of thanks. 

 

“You familiar with this terrain?” 

 

“Roundabouts,” Rey shrugged.

 

Kylo turned the idea over in his head as the boy fiddled with the kerchief around his neck and Kylo was struck by his youth and slimness. His fingers, while calloused, didn’t have the blunt edges that Kylo normally saw in the prairie. His skin was freckled but the nose pert, the eyelashes long, the lips full. 

 

“Might you be willing to be my guide? Just until we reach wherever you were heading.” He kept his voice low and his eyes averted, as if he were calming a skittish horse. 

 

“I was heading to Tulsa.”

 

“What a coincidence. I too was heading to the Oklahoma Territory.” 

 

There was a sudden  _ whoosh _ and shriek of wind. Rey’s eyes widened and they both turned to look out the windows. The saloon was filling up as travelers stumbled in, dropping dirt and sand along the scrubbed boards. A young man darted out to mop up after the new customers. Card games began to unfold around them and an unpleasant wreath of smoke began to drift around their heads as cigars and pipes were lit up. Neither he nor Rey partook, as he discovered. 

 

“Well, think on it,” Kylo added. He could sense Rey’s hesitant behavior and he seemed a potentially useful companion. The boy’s only response was a quick nod, ducking his head to stare into his still mostly full glass of beer. 

 

Kylo stood up, stretching his limbs, and wondered if their room was ready. He ambled over to the bar to speak with the owner, watching Rey in a mirror overhead, not missing the little hands darting into his coat and pulling something out--the information he had received regarding Luke Skywalker’s whereabouts. What he hadn’t expected was Rey’s wide eyed look of recognition, jaw dropping slightly, and a furtive glance at him. He pretended to study the various bottles of liquor. He returned to the mirror to watch Rey slip the paper back into his coat. The younger boy slumped in his chair, bottom lip jutting out, as thoughts raced across his narrow, almost sweet looking face. 

 

Probably a runaway, Kylo thought, as he accepted another whiskey from the barkeep. 

 

“Room is ready,” he told the boy as he took his seat back on the table. “Seems a bit early to turn in, though.”  And, as he expected, Rey took the bait. 

 

“I’m a bit tired, though. You don’t mind if I…” 

 

Kylo gestured toward the stairs. “It’s all yours.”  

 

Feigning a wide yawn--but well enough that Kylo’s estimation of the boy rose another notch--Rey went upstairs, saddle bags tossed over his lithe frame. Kylo took a half hour to finish the whiskey and chat with a few of the other men seeking refuge from the storm beating at the windows with an increasingly shrill keening wail. He learned rain often chased these dust clouds in the spring and that he could expect the storm to die down sometime in the night. Kylo listened to the old timers talk and filed away the information for later use. 

 

Figuring the boy had enough time to either lay a trap or escape, Kylo made his excuses and headed upstairs.  The innkeeper’s wife was exiting a room at the top left and spied Kylo.

 

“Your roommate is taking a bath in the adjoining room. If he doesn’t take too long, you should have enough warm water to clean up.” 

 

“Much obliged, ma’am.” He tipped his head at her and with a bright smile, she was gone. 

 

Holding his breath, forcing himself to be still, Kylo slipped into the room with nary a sound. He silently closed the door and could hear Rey splashing in the washroom. The door had been left open a crack and steam curled into the bedroom. A small lamp had been lit, casting a circle of golden light, the best it could do against the wailing wind and sand buffeting the windows. 

 

Kylo crept toward the clothes strewn on a chair and rifled through them. A small part chided him for this behavior; the other part reasoned it away. After all, Kylo didn’t make Master of the Knights, the most feared bounty hunters in the West, by following the rules. He had to know all the information, see the lay of the land, in order to understand where he was.

 

And, as he suspected, Rey was not looking for some job. If the papers in his saddlebag were true, Rey was an informant for the Resistance, here in Texas at the request of Holdo, a leader in the Resistance. They were a ragtag group of rebels fighting for rights in the West. And home to bounty hunters that constantly challenged Kylo’s gang. 

 

And judging by Holdo’s familiar scrawl they were after the same game--Luke Skywalker. 

 

Kylo cocked his head and wondered what Rey had thought of his offer. After all, he would know that the Knights of Ren were looking for Skywalker. The posters Kylo had ordered plastered at every railway junction from St Louis to San Francisco and then some boasted a large reward for help in his capture. 

 

Based on this new information though, Kylo felt his plans change. Pity welled up in his chest and, fiists clenching, he shoved it aside. He had no need for competition. He hated to dim the bright spirit he saw in Rey but it was Kylo’s destiny to find Luke. Rey was now a problem that needed a solution.  

 

There was simply no need to keep a Resistance spy alive. 

 

And the storm would provide a perfect cover to hide the body. He wouldn’t need to concoct a story for trailing law enforcement. 

 

Kylo took his boots off and crept along the wall, quiet as a mountain lion. His ears pricked for any sound as he neared the washroom door. He peered around the lintel post and took stock of the washroom. Small, with a high window which offered no additional light from the twilight of the storm. Instead, two gas lights burned brightly from sconces in the wall. There was a screen in one corner around which part of the tub was visible. A wash stand and a mirror stood closest to him, meaning Rey would not see him as he approached. He was surprised at how the room smelled like honeysuckle and vanilla . 

 

Wrinkling his nose, he glided into the room, his breath calm and even, rolling on the balls of his feet to reduce the sound. He edged to the wall, picking up a towel. Better to subdue him with, he thought, and looked toward the tub.

 

And froze. 

 

That was no boy in the tub. 

 

Lifting one leg up and humming an odd ditty was a girl. Not a girl, a young woman, golden shoulders gleaming with the damp. He could make out the same features as the boy. Rey. She ran a soap bar down her lithe leg and leaned forward, pert breasts lifting out of the water, offering him a glimpse of a curve, a rosy nipple with soap bubbles clinging to it. 

 

His throat suddenly dry, Kylo held himself perfectly still as Rey scrubbed her leg and turned her attention to the other. Seizing the opportunity, he fled back to the other room, trying to remember how to make as little as noise as possible. 

 

It was a girl.

 

She was a girl.

 

A beautiful, crafty girl. He hadn’t even seen through her sham and wouldn’t have except for this moment. 

 

Kylo heard a loud splash and a thump, followed by a string of creative curses.  She was wonderfully talented with that mouth, he thought, and cheeks burned red as blood rushed south.  It wasn’t like him to be affected by such beauty. But the audacity of it all. It astounded him. It thrilled him.

 

It intrigued him.

 

This trip for Luke, likely a dead end from the start, had evolved into something else and Kylo’s mind hurried of ways to ingratiate himself with that woman. That incredibly odd and brazen woman. 

 

Maybe his original plan would work. If Rey took his offer, as she would since she would see spying on Kylo as part of her duty, then he could woo her away from the Resistance. She surely could see how well a Knight could live. The food he could offer her. And as his blood continued its sinuous course down south and an image of that tiny breast seared his mind, he began to imagine the ways in which he could take this knowledge and use it for himself. 

 

After all, a woman alone on the plains was a woman asking for trouble. 

 

Clever girl, clever traps, what an unusual day, Kylo ruminated. Quickly, he slipped his boots back on and silently crept toward the door. He opened it and shut it loudly. 

 

“Rey?” he called, drawing out a slur. One too many whiskeys, he decided. That’s how I’ll play it. 

 

“In the washroom!”  The voice was pitched lower, he realized. You wouldn’t think about it unless you were looking for it. Fire burned through him, a fire that had nothing to do with the whiskeys earlier. 

 

He had met his match. 

 

“If you wait a few moments, you can use the water.”

 

“That’ll be wonderful.” He made sure every movement he made was clearly telegraphed, from the shedding of his boots (again) to the dropping of his saddle bags in the corner. The bed was quite large, he noted somewhat happily, and would fit both of them and was long enough for his feet not to hang over it.  

 

But as he moved about, he realized that Rey had made a critical error in her hurry to take a bath. 

 

She had left her clothes out in the main room. 


	2. Chapter 2

A million ideas crashed through Kylo and he nearly staggered back as the force of them raced through his frame. Too much, he thought dizzily, fists clenching as his chest tightened. 

 

“Kylo?” Rey called apprehensively from the other room. And from that catch in her voice, she had caught her mistake. A myriad of options presented themselves to him in that moment and Kylo had to make a decision between them. Did he confront her now or did he continue on with his current plan? What would he gain by revealing that he knew her secret? 

 

Was she the type to lash out, to fight back--like him? Or would she see the sensibility in continuing to align herself with him? 

 

He did not have enough information to make a sound decision, he thought. 

 

“Kylo?” she called again. 

 

“Yeah?” he stuttered, snapping out of his reverie. 

 

“I seem to have, ummm…”her voice trailed off with a little squeak. Kylo’s throat was dry, drier than the sands scratching along the windows, and he fished around for his flask in his coat pocket. He would need to continue with his plan as is, he thought. The risks of revealing his knowledge now would be too great. 

 

“I think I see the problem,” he said too quickly. He grabbed her saddle bags and, without looking, tossed them into the washroom. The washroom door slammed quickly and Kylo wheezed, sinking into the bed. He took a long pull from his flask, whiskey burning a trail of fire down into his belly. Kylo shifted in his seat, realizing how strained his pants were, and ordered himself to think of dull, less attractive images. It didn’t quite succeed as the image of the bubbles glistening in the gaslight on that perfectly shaped breast, nipples pert in the warm air, seemed to cling to him like a burr to a saddle. 

 

The door opened and Rey stepped out in a long nightshirt. It was too large, cuffs past her hands, hem brushing the floor. It was an effort to appear mannish, from the cut to the color to the quality of the cloth. But it failed. He couldn’t help but see her womanly shape as the fabric clung to a few damp spots along her thighs and calves. 

 

He had never realized how dangerously alluring a calve could be until that moment. 

 

Blinking stupidly, he watched as Rey bustled around the room, trying to stay as masculine as possible with her wide swaggering steps and square set to her shoulders. Her hair was cut short, tucked neatly behind her ears. The chin length hair probably acted as a boon on the plains, with the lack of water and abundance of bugs, but he wondered how she would look with with a cloud of golden brown hair tumbling down her back. 

 

He imagined her to be a desert rose, blooming in the most adverse conditions, and seen by a rare few. A delicacy to be savored. 

 

Kylo slapped himself internally, ordering himself to get back into line. This was a mission! And he was no slobbering virgin, unaware of how women looked or behaved. 

 

“I guess I’ll go grab a bath while it’s still hot,” he mumbled, swooping to pick up his bags and shuttering himself away in the washroom. He leaned back against the door and blew out his air, wondering why in seven blazes his body was behaving like a mere adolescent again. But she was intoxicating. Unafraid. Even as she moved around the room in that night gown, she appeared confident, as if he would never see the woman. 

Shaking his head, Kylo slipped into the tub and let himself take the issue in hand, stifling his own cries by biting his wrist. 

 

When he left the washroom, the bedroom was dark. He could see a lump in the bed, curled up against the wall. It wasn’t late but as the wind lashed against the walls, a mournful sound in the dark, he decided sleep was probably the best course. He lowered himself into the bed beside her and felt her stiffen up. 

 

“I’m just heading to bed myself,” he said soothingly. Like a skittish horse, he reminded himself. 

 

Rey cleared her throat: “I’m just not used to sharing my bed roll.”

 

“A handsome devil like you?” Kylo teased. He couldn’t help himself. “I’d imagine all the ladies wept when you left town.” He heard Rey snort and he bit his lip.

 

“Can we just sleep?” Rey said in a small voice. Kylo looked over, squinting at her in the dark. 

 

“Yeah, sure,” he mumbled and rolled over onto his side. As he adjusted himself, she did too, her foot brushing against his leg. She muttered an apology and twisted away, her knee skimming the back of his own. Kylo stifled a groan as his cock began to twitch in earnest;  the problem clearly had not been resolved in the washroom earlier. 

 

“Just to let you know, I snore sometimes,” he whispered into the dark. 

 

“Oh yes, me too,” Rey quipped. “But most men do that, don’t we?” It sounded less assured than she had probably hoped and Kylo swallowed a chuckle. 

 

“I reckon that’s so,” he replied and Rey snickered into her pillow. She shifted on the bed, mattress dipping with her movements. After a few moments, she settled down and he could hear her breath become even.

 

Kylo flopped over on his back, glaring at the ceiling and listening to the wind recede outside, the windows rattling as a few strong gusts buffeted them. He didn’t think he would be able to sleep and he spent the better part of an hour plotting his next steps. 

 

As his eyelids began to droop, a leg was thrown over his and Rey rolled over, face snuggling into his shoulder. Kylo jerked awake. He froze, hardly daring to move another inch. He held his breath and waited for her to roll away from him. 

 

Instead, she sighed and pressed herself closer. His breath hiccuped and he clenched his fists, his blood moving through an uproarious pace through him. He could feel the curve of her breasts against his arm, the strength in her shapely calves resting on his own, the warmth of her body bleeding into his. He dimly wondered if this was some sort of punishment, a belated curse from his mother or uncle. 

 

It became clear that Rey wasn’t going to move and Kylo allowed himself to enjoy the sensations of her against him. The skin of her thigh was soft on his own, her weight a comforting presence. She smelled maddeningly of  honeysuckle and vanilla  and he longed to bury his nose into her hair, to allow himself to sink into he r every cell. 

 

These thoughts were not helping and his cock twitched again. Kylo sighed and settled himself in for the long nigh t, reciting multiplication tables  as the moon began to peek through the fading storm and into the room. 

 

It illuminated that gamine face and Kylo found himself studying every line and featur e: the delicate curve of her eyebrows; the peach colored lips with a slightly fuller bottom one; the sweet little bow on the upper lip that he ached to run his tongue over; the arch of her nose; the slash of prominent cheekbones. 

 

A goddess offered up by the plains itself with her golden skin and mobile mouth and devious mind. 

 

And he would count himself damned lucky to be her acolyte. 

 

Cursing his mind for its romantic bent, Kylo turned his mind on how to convince the girl beside him to travel with him. Everyone had a price and he ruminated on everything he had observed about her to find what she valued most . 

 

Morning came, dusty sunlight filtering through dirt stained windows. Kylo blinked blearily into the light, cutting a snore in half. He had managed to fall asleep, his arm draped over Rey’s slight frame. 

 

Her very awake and trembling frame. 

 

Kylo looked down at her, grunting a hasty good morning. Rey jerked away, eyes widening, as she stared at him. The fight rose up on her face and he felt the urge to reach for his gun. 

 

Skittish horse, he told himself, and gave her a crooked, sheepish smile. Cut off her anger and fear, make it smaller. 

 

“Don’t worry about it,” he waved it away. “I’ve done my fair share of traveling. Not the first time it’s happened.” She gazed at him unabashedly and he saw a gleam enter her eye, a consideration that had Kylo hastily holding up his hand. 

 

“Look, I was just as asleep as you were. Nothing happened?”  She nodded and relaxed, running a hand through her hair. She mumbled about needing the washroom and Kylo clambered out of bed to order some coffee and breakfast. She darted past him hurriedly and grabbed her saddle bags in the process. 

 

When she came out, fully dressed and as masculine looking as she could manage, Kylo was sitting at the small table, sipping coffee and dining on eggs. 

 

“The bartender says the storm moved through late last night and headed northwest. If we head to Tulsa, we should be alright,” he said.

 

“We?” came her arch response. 

 

Kylo nodded. “I asked you to guide me to Tulsa. I figure you know this place better than me.” He gestured toward the seat across from him and Rey slipped into it cautiously.

 

She was watching him carefully and he could see her weighing her options. As a Resistance member, she knew who he was. He didn’t think she could withstand the opportunity to spy on the great Kylo Ren. 

 

“Look, while we are heading the same way,” she began as she slathered butter on her bread and hastily gulping down her coffee. 

 

Kylo dropped a heavy bag of credits on the table before she could finish. “Consider that a downpayment.” 

 

Her gaze darted between the bag and him. He could see the desire flickering in those beguiling hazel eyes. His mind began to wander down another path of desire and Kylo pinched his leg under the table. Time to get down to business. 

 

He waited a few more minutes as she scooped up eggs and toast, obviously considering her options. He quietly sipped his coffee and watched her, memorizing every thought as it took flight on her face. 

 

“Well, kriff me,” she finally muttered and Kylo had to stop himself from replying, “I’m trying.”  Instead he cleared his throat. 

 

“We’ll try for separate rooms next time,” he offered, pretending that he understood her concern. She shook her head, a stray hair escaping her neat bob. Lord how he wanted to tuck it back, to cup that face in his hands. 

 

“I prefer to make camp whenever possible, ” she added, as if attempting to dissuade him. He studied her, leaning forward in his chair as he cut up  his eggs. She snatched the bag of coins and opened it to peer inside, eyes growing rounder. 

 

Kylo replied, “Fine by me.”

 

“And I’ll travel by night if necessary.” The challenge was thick in her voice and he nodded his agreement. 

 

She added, “It ain’t easy. There’s damned bandits at every turn, not to mention hostile natives. And kriffin’ marshals too.”

 

“You wanted?” he asked over his mug.

 

She grinned. “Not in this territory.” 

 

Kylo choked on his coffee. “You leave the law to me.”  

 

Rey studied him warily before jerking her chin. She must know all too well what cover the Knights of Ren could offer her and he wondered what she planned to do with that knowledge. 

 

“So a partnership it’ll be,” she murmured. “But only til Tulsa.” 

 

Kylo smiled, all wolves teeth, as he held out his hand. Tentatively, she took it, her hand warm and small in his massive paw. 

 

The partnership was born. 


	3. Chapter 3

The first two days of the journey found  Rey driving him at a hard pace. She pushed them at a punishing speed at times before leading them through winding canyons that required the surest of foot and an unhurried tread. They covered miles of terrain under her direction, Kylo’s hair whipping past his face as they galloped across the plains, the heat beating down on the dusty, cracked land, dotted with ferocious sagebrush and dogged tufts of bluegrass. 

 

True to her word, Rey guided him until the last fingers of sunlight faded from the endless sky. Only then, as the yips and barks of coyotes split the air, did she consent to camp, usually in mesquite brush, and at a distance from a stream. 

 

“Attracts too many animals,” she said gruffly to his unasked question as she hefted the saddle off her horse. They took shifts at night, Kylo assuming guard first. He didn’t mind watching the stars move across the sky, submerged memories bubbling upward of his uncle teaching him the paths of the constellations. Or his father, showing him the far more useful skill of navigation at night by their dim lights alone. 

 

He would watch Rey sleep, slouched against a prickly tree, horse blanket stretched beneath her: the sweet face, lined with streaks of dirt; the mouth half open in sleep; the exhaustion leaving shadows under her eyes, made darker and larger in the flickering flames of the campfire. 

 

It was four days in when they began to meet other riders. A cattle herd, heading north. A prairie schooner, heading for New Mexico and a life of promised freedom after the war. A group of Native Americans, members of the Tonkawa tribe, coming from a hunt. Rey bartered with anyone she encountered. From the schooner, she received knowledge about the distance to Fort Worth and how they would need to ford a river up ahead. From the Tonkawa tribe, a bag of pecans and a canteen of water. 

 

And from the cowboys, a bunch of sly comments that sent Kylo snarling after them, his gun almost leaping into his hand. 

 

“Look, it’s alright!” Rey snapped as Kylo’s horse bit at the rein, sensing its rider’s desire to paw at the cowboys. 

 

“It’s insupportable,” Kylo shouted at her, dust swirling around them as the bulk of the cattle began to past them. Another cowboy made a leering face at Rey and Kylo aimed his gun casually at the cowboy. The rider made an obscene gesture and Kylo cocked the gun. Sensing Kylo’s true intent, the cowboy darted off. 

 

“I’ve always been seen as small, an easy target,” Rey interjected, anger threading her words. He wasn’t sure if it were directed at him or at the cowboys. Probably at both. 

 

“Bullying is disgusting,” Kylo sneered and Rey let out a harsh laugh. 

 

“And you don’t think that’s what you do? You and your bloody knights?”

 

“We keep justice in the land!”

 

“For a tyrant! Snoke has driven us all toward destruction! He’s separating families, he’s destroying the lands, he’s undermining our very Republic! What’s next--appoint himself Emperor?!” 

 

Her rage tore through him, screams punctuated by the pounding hooves of the cattle, the clanging of the bells on their necks. Kylo stared at her, dirt drifting between them as the last of the cattle rushed by. With a loud cry, the last cowboy trotted past them, whip cracking in the air. Until all that was left was Kylo staring stonily at Rey, the path torn by the cattle party. 

 

“I’m going to ignore all that you just said,” Kylo said slowly as he holstered his gun. His gaze never left her face which was white with anger and her bottom lip trembling with a hint of fear. 

 

“Why? So you can hang me in Fort Worth for treason?” Her words were so faint they barely reached his ears. Rage boiled through him and he inhaled sharply through his nose. His hands twitched on the reins. For once, he did not want to cup her face. He wanted to shout, to brawl, to let loose the building fury. 

 

But his mother’s voice rolled through him, calm and even, and at odds with his current situation. He found it odd, anyways, even as a cool memory of her telling him that honey caught more flies than vinegar, that persuasion was a greater art with a silvered tongue than with a silvered sword, slid into his mind. 

 

“You’re hot. You’re tired. It’s been a long couple of days.” He said shortly, each word a staccato bark.. “We’ll make camp at the first town we see. Neither of us have had more than jerky or hare since we got on the road. A real dinner and a bath and we’ll be civilized men again.” He couldn’t help but stress the word ‘men’. She might hear the mockery, he thought wildly, his thoughts a red tangle that he bitterly fought to get them under control. 

 

Without waiting for her answer, he nudged his horse forward and began a stiff canter toward Fort Worth. 

 

After a few moments, he heard Rey gustily sigh and the soft thud of hooves behind him. 

 

They didn’t quite reach the outpost by nightfall but they did reach a settlement for ranchers. Rooms were available to let in the town saloon and Kylo was more than ready to ignore Rey for the night. His anger had abated but Rey’s indignation and righteous fury had not. He requested two rooms and looked forward to his own bath, his own bed, his own time in his head. 

 

After dinner, they sat together at a small table, the only one free of poker players and cigar smoke. Rey nursed a beer moodily while Kylo ordered his third whiskey. 

 

“Are you going to call me in?” she said at last. Kylo raised an eyebrow at her. 

 

“I imagine there’s not even a telephone line in this entire area .” 

 

“They’ve got a telegraph at the fort,” Rey said glumly. Kylo studied her as he took a sip of whiskey. He weighed whether to comfort her or to lie to her. Which would give him the greatest gain, he pondered.

 

In the end, he decided to speak his own truth. “Look, you’re just a kid. I’ve got no quarrel with you. If we tried to hang everybody who expressed anger at the government, we’d have nothing but gallows from El Paso to St Louis.” She looked at him then, truly meeting his gaze for the first time since their argument. Her hazel eyes swam with unshed tears and he realized that she had feared him, feared his reaction after her outburst. 

 

“The stories about you…” she trailed off and took a hasty gulp of beer.

 

Kylo shrugged: “It takes all kinds.” 

 

And true to form, he heard his father’s ghost snickering at him as he spoke the words that Han Solo would tell his young son whenever the boy complained of some slight or gripe. But they carried a wisdom, he thought now.

 

“I seen a lot out there, Kylo. A lot of damaged families and farms and...and you could do some good! Bring aid, enforce treaties, ensure the natives are being treated fairly. Finish the damn railroad--” 

 

Kylo held up his hand. 

 

“We could. But tell me, Rey--how would that benefit you?” He watched her mouth close with an audible snap at his question. He continued: “You’ve admitted you’re a drifter, that you’ve got no close connection to any one person. How does bringing civilization and all its wonders out to this wild country help you? Why do you want it?” 

 

Rey met his gaze for a few moments, lips compressed into a tight line before looking away. He finished his whiskey as she weighed his words. 

 

“I was abandoned you know,” she began softly. He held himself still, sensing she was going to reveal a tightly held secret. “My parents sold me off for drinking money. I had to work my way free.” 

 

“I’m sorry. I wish there had been another way,” he said gravely. It was not that unusual a story out in the wilds, unfortunately.  It might also explain her preference for male garb, he thought. Outside of the convenience while traveling, it would make work easier and would ensure that gazes would skate right over her. It was hard to see the pretty woman under the sheen of dirt and calluses. 

 

“Yeah, well, there wasn’t. And if there had been more outposts, more enforcement of the law, peacekeepers who followed law and not their pocketbook, it might not have happened.” The bitterness was thick in her words and Kylo longed to reach out, to pull her into his lap, and to hold her, to encourage her to let the tears fall. But he could not; he could only offer bland statements. He made a few more as she sniffed once, wiping her nose clumsily, and took another swallow of beer. 

 

“Anyways, I’m just saying. You could make sure other kids don’t become me,” she finished blearily. 

 

Kylo reached forward and tipped his hand under her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze . 

 

“Rey, the world would be a better place if there were more people like you in it. Passion and honesty and hard work are hard to find.” 

 

Her mouth dropped open, eyes widening in surprise. He could see a tear sliding through the dirt on her cheek and wanted to chase it with his lips. Quickly, he dropped his hand and stood up. 

 

“I think the whiskeys got to me. I’m off,” he mumbled, striding to the stairs and to his room. He cursed himself, all but revealing that he knew her secret with that tender touch. Only way to find out what she does with that is tomorrow morning, he thought grimly. If she thought he knew her secret, she would flee during the night. To perceived safety. 

 

And, to his utter amazement, he found her at breakfast the next morning, shoveling  eggs and sausage in her mouth as if her life depended on it. One of the matronly women who ran the kitchen bustled over and poured Kylo a cup of coffee. 

 

“You sure finishing that quick, kid,” she remarked in a heavy accent that belied East Coast origins. Kylo nodded his thanks as he took a grateful sip. 

 

“He’s paying,” Rey answered, jerking a thumb toward Kylo. “And can I have some more please, Mrs. Highmore?” Chuckling and muttering about the wondrous appetites of teenage boys, she dashed off, promising more food and a plate for Kylo. 

 

Kylo held his breath and waited for Rey to speak. She did not disappoint. 

 

“We need to provision up while here,” she remarked around a mouthful of sausage. He winced in distaste. He really needed to teach her manners. At camp was one thing, but in a town establishment? Quite distasteful, he thought. 

 

“Why not Fort Worth?” he asked slowly, waiting for the coffee to jolt him awake. He was still sleepy and chilled, tightening his jacket around him despite the warm air. 

 

Rey shrugged: “Nine times out of ten, provisions are cheaper here. In the fort, they jack up the prices because most settlers stock up there before heading out.” He could see her logic and nodded his agreement. Mrs. Highmore returned with steaming plates and a bright smile. Kylo figured he could have a normal conversation once food hit his system. After a long night of little sleep, worry pulsing through him with every heartbeat, he calculated that he needed at least the whole coffee pot just to drag his ass out to his horse. 

 

Rey spent the rest of the morning chatting with the rest of the patrons who were coming down for their breakfast as well. She also spoke with Mrs. Highmore, who recommended a few shops for them to try. Kylo shoved some money at Rey, ordering her to get supplies while he finished up. Pleased, she scampered away as he stared tiredly at his plate. 

 

After another cup of coffee, and some silence, he felt human enough to settle the bill with Mrs. Highmore. He decided to check on the horses before trying to find Rey and as he stepped out of the saloon doors into the dazzlingly bright spring sunshine, he heard a commotion down the street. His gaze lazily tracked over--

 

And he froze. 

 

Across the street, Rey was attempting to leave a store, purchases in hand. But those kriffin’ cowboys from before were blocking her way. Laughing at her, pushing her. Rey argued with them, letting them toss her purchases to the ground as she hauled off a punch that sent one on his ass. But then a large grizzled looking man grabbed her from behind, hands reaching up to yank at her, another brandishing a knife, his blonde hair glinting in the light. 

 

And Kylo lurched forward, feet moving of their own accord, hand reaching for a weapon that wasn’t there. Panic ripped through him as he watched Rey kick out at the other man. Blondie swatted her leg and slashed out with the knife. 

 

It sliced through Rey’s shirt. It should have nicked her skin. 

 

Instead it got caught in the very thick set of breast bands. 

 

Blondie yanked the blade back, the bands parting to reveal a gentle curve of her breast. Blondie cheered at the unexpected surprise. 

 

A cheer cut short when Kylo grabbed his shoulder and whirled him around, his fist planting in the smaller man’s face. Kylo punched him once, twice, then a third time, short hard jabs that ended with the satisfying crunch of the man’s nose. He jammed his fist into Blondie’s gut. The other man fell to the ground with a sob. 

 

Kylo reached down to scoop up the knife. 

 

And Rey took that moment to slam her foot on the grizzled’s man toes. She followed with a swift kick to Blondie’s side and twisted to throw her elbow into the other man’s face. He stumbled back, swearing. Kylo turned his attention to the man Rey had punched earlier. He was climbing unsteadily to his feet. 

 

Kylo plunged the knife into the man’s shoulder. He slammed a fist into the man’s kidneys. With a hiss, the man fell backward onto the street. 

 

Kylo turned to see Rey tearing into the grizzled man. A darting punch to the throat was followed by a rapid boot to the balls. The grizzled man fell to his knees with a groan.

 

Rey screamed wordlessly at the three of them. Kylo walloped the grizzled man across the temple and the man slumped to the ground. Rey kicked him in the kidney for good measure. They learned to stay on the ground.  Silence fell, punctuated by Blondie’s whimpers. 

 

Kylo whipped off his coat to drape it around Rey. 

 

He didn’t fail to notice the gathering crowd. 

 

“Take the coat, go back to the room. Lock the door. I’ll deal with the law.” She met his eyes, apprehension rising to the surface, and he gave a slight shake of the head. 

 

“I guess it’s a good thing you’re Kylo Ren,” she said, her voice rusty, the quip not quite lively. She smiled and it did not reach her eyes. Kylo gave her a gentle push toward the saloon and reached for the badge clipped to his belt. 

 

He knelt beside the three men. 

 

“Well, gentlemen, it is a bad day to be wanted by the Knights of Ren.” And, were they entirely conscious, they would have shivered at the vicious smile spreading across his face. 


	4. Chapter 4

Nothing made Kylo angrier than paperwork. And, unfortunately, the Knights of Ren badge may have added a veneer of legality to their thrashing of the cowboys, but it also meant paperwork. Paperwork made even more unbearable by the throbbing pain in his bloodied knuckles. As the sheriff lectured him about respect between federal and state authorities, Kylo peeled the broken skin off his forefinger, tuning the man out. 

 

Frustration buzzed under his skin as he trudged up the stairs to the room. Mrs. Highmore had informed him that the “young’un” was upstairs and that Mrs. Highmore had personally seen to it that a tray of hot food and coffee had been sent to the room. He mumbled his thanks, hat tipped slightly, as dread settled into the pit of his stomach. 

 

He found it odd himself that he both relished and loathed the next conversation he was about to have. 

 

Kylo knocked on the door. “It’s me.” 

 

He heard the scrape of chair legs and rustling about in the room. With a click, the door was unlocked. Floorboard squeaked as weight moved away. Kylo frowned and wished for his gun for the second time that day--or maybe the third; he hadn’t really wanted to shoot the sheriff. 

 

Much. 

 

Cautiously, Kylo twisted the knob and pushed the door open. He angled his body to peer through the slowly widening doorway, his body mostly protected by the wood. 

 

“I don’t have my gun out. Yet, anyways,” came Rey’s clear voice. Stuffing down a chuckle, and perhaps relief, Kylo stepped into the room, closing the door behind him. He leaned against it and met the gaze of the angry young woman sitting at the table. 

 

“So,” she greeted evenly. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes carried a hard heat. “When exactly were you going to make it clear that you knew?”

 

“Knew what?” His voice was hoarse and he longed for the coffee pot that Rey was guarding like a scrappy coyote with a bone. Her gun was holstered but the belt was hanging off her chair. Suspiciously easy for her to grab. 

 

She scoffed. “You didn’t seem surprised. When did you know?”

 

“Does it matter?”

 

“If you know that I’m a girl, yes it does. It brings into question what else you know about me.” She lifted her chin as she spoke and Kylo couldn’t stop the smile from spreading across his face. 

 

“Clever girl,” he murmured. And, taking his life into his hands, he crossed the room to take the other seat at the small table. Ignoring her righteous cry, he poured himself a cup of coffee and added a generous measure of whiskey to it. He gestured to her. 

 

“You want some?” She sniffed and turned away. Kylo smirked. “You will.”

 

“You’re in an awfully good mood for someone who may have just killed someone,” she retorted.

 

“Actually, I didn’t kill anyone. You may have with that throat punch. Luckily, you didn’t fully connect but doctor says he might die in his sleep tonight.” Her cheeks grew warmer as he spoke. 

 

“I did what I needed to!”

 

“And no one’s going to lock you up for it, I promise,” he said, grabbing her hand and running a thumb over her bruised and bloody knuckles. She stiffened in his grasp but didn’t pull away.

 

“You didn’t clean up,” he frowned. 

 

“Neither did you.”

 

“I was with the sheriff,” he reminded her. “Making sure that neither of us got in trouble for that incident this morning.” 

 

Rey growled at him, “Typical First Order nonsense! You made up a crime to convict those men!”

 

“Convict them? No. Charge them? Sure. Besides whose neck you want swinging? Yours or theirs? Can’t save your Resistance when you’re strung up, can you? Show some gratitude. ” 

 

He winced as her eyes widened and he loudly swore. He hadn’t meant to reveal that nugget of information quite so soon, if at all. 

 

Rey leapt to her feet, hand going for her gun. He jumped up, tackling her to the ground. She squirmed beneath him, pushing at his heavy weight with her hands. He didn’t budge and he grinned down at her. 

 

She narrowed her eyes and let out a scream. Cursing again, Kylo covered her mouth. She bit down on the edge of his hand and he swallowed down a holler. He dug his hips into hers and lay his arm across her throat, leaning into her. She gasped. He slid his hand to cover her whole mouth, including her nose, and snarled at her. 

 

“Be quiet,” he hissed. He waited, tension squeezing his shoulders, as he braced for the knock on the door. He lifted most of the weight off of her throat. No knock came, and after a few moments,he relaxed. Rey was glowering at him, her low growl muffled by his hand. 

 

“Now I’m gonna let you up, but you keep it quiet, wild cat,” he ordered. “We don’t need anymore trouble and my badge can only do so much.” Her eyebrows bunched together and she nodded. Taking her to mean her word, he eased off of her, lifting his hand off her face. 

 

And she promptly spit into his. 

 

“Get off of me, you animal!” she all but shrieked. She shoved at him and he flopped onto his back. She had lowered her volume when she spoke so he decided not to fight it. There were too many other fights brewing and this was not one he wanted to poke. 

 

His little she-bear. 

 

He couldn’t help the smile that broke across his face at that thought and she huffed, slapping at his thigh.

 

“You do this to all women?”

 

“Nah, just ones that work for the Resistance.”

 

“And I imagine the sheriff is going to be waiting for me as I try to leave.” Her anger didn’t quite hide the note of apprehension. 

 

Kylo shrugged and sat up. “Not unless he wants to question you about them cowboys. I’ve got no quarrel with you.”  Her mouth dropped open and he could feel her heated gaze as he stood up and ambled toward his cooling coffee. He downed the mug’s contents in one swallow and stretched. 

 

“Look, Rey, I’m paying you to do a job. I’d like you to still do it. If you don’t want to, take your deposit and go. You got me this far. I’m sure I can get a guide or at least a good set of directions at Fort Worth.” He didn’t look at her as he spoke. He wanted to get out of his dusty shirt and he started unbuttoning his top. He strode over to his saddle bags and began to hunt for another one.

 

“If you do want the rest of those credits, then we are leaving as soon as possible. I don’t want to stay in this town much longer. Those cowboys may have friends and despite rumors to the contrary, I don’t necessarily enjoy leaving a trail of bodies wherever I go.”

 

And to punctuate his point, he turned and looked at her, shirt open. He didn’t fail to notice the way her eyes tracked down to his skin. He bit back a smirk. 

 

“And think about it. How ironic would it be to fund your rebellion against the First Order with its own money?” Kylo noticed her chewing her bottom lip and her eyes narrowed at that comment. He figured she had followed that train of thought the first time he proposed paying her as a guide. 

 

He continued: “Either way, I remember what you said last night. About your parents. But, Rey, when you’re with me--” she looked up at him. “You’re not alone.” 

 

And he stripped off his shirt before slipping on another. On one hand, he wanted to show her that nothing had changed; and on the other, he more than enjoyed the way her brows had lifted and a blush had stained her cheeks when she saw him shirtless. 

 

“When do you?” she asked, haltingly. 

 

“When do I what?”

 

“Enjoy leaving a trail of bodies wherever you go?” He made a noise of surprise. That was not a question he had expected. But that suited Rey. Always unexpected. 

 

He smiled, showing sharpened teeth. “Whenever people  get in my way.”  He jerked his chin toward her saddle bags. “Grab your gear. We’re leaving.” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope all of my Midwest and East Coast (USA) readers are staying warm. I'm in the Midwest and hunkered down for -30F temps tomorrow.

Kylo had expected Rey’s behavior to change in recognition of his knowledge. But true to her spirit, she continued on as before. She didn’t change her dress or her manner,continuing to swear and to spit and to swagger. Riding her horse commandingly,she mastered a steely gaze and leveled it at him and any other that dared cross their path (including that couple that had offered to share their fire only to try to rob them blind. She was merciless to them). 

 

The Texan landscape changed as they headed north. Evenings grew cooler, even in the spring. And the scrubby, scraggly bushes in the harsh grassland changed to lush canyons and thick forests. It made gathering wood easier and the winding forest trails shortened the amount of miles they could cover in a day. 

 

“I heard you killed your father,” she said abruptly. He looked up at her, knife slicing under the skin of the mule deer. She had caught the animal quickly and he offered to dress it. 

 

“You hear lots of things,” he replied in an offhand voice.Grunting she tossed another chunk of wood on the fire. Rey picked up her own knife and began shaving a longer piece of wood to be used as a spit. 

 

“How could you do it?”

 

“Do what?”

 

“Kill your father.” 

 

“Easy,” he answered shortly, looking up at her. He pointed his finger at her, thumb in the air, in the approximation of a gun. “Point and click.” He blew his air out, fingers lifting, as if a gun firing. She blanched and looked away. 

 

“You’re a monster.”

 

“So they tell me. But that didn’t stop you from sharing my bedroll last night.” Her coloring rivaled the red streaks over the setting sun overhead and she stuck her tongue out at him. A bear had wandered into their camp last night and she had pressed herself against him for a lot longer than he had anticipated, even after the bear left, to the point where she dozed off next to him. 

 

To be fair, he hadn’t really meant to complain. 

 

“It seemed to me this morning that you were enjoying it.” And her gaze dropped down and he could feel the blush creeping up his neck and along his ears. 

 

“Can’t help but enjoy a beautiful woman beside me,” he shot back, his voice wavering. 

 

One side of her lips tugged upward in triumph. “Yeah but don’t call me beautiful. Or a woman.”

 

He chuckled. “Alright, a handsome girl then?” He laughed again and made a baffled sound. “You sure are a strange one.”  He expected a rapid fire rebuttal but instead she smiled again and returned to work. Within a half hour, he was cooking venison steaks in the pan he had packed and she was hanging thin strips over the spit to cook for a fast meal. 

 

“How could you do it?” she whispered. He wasn’t sure if she were speaking to him or to the fire. He sighed and used the long fork to poke at the steaks. 

 

“Easy. Aimed the gun and pulled the trigger.” His laconic answer got the response he wanted. She surged up, rocking toward him, eyes burning with fire. 

 

“They loved you! Your mother tells me all the time--”

 

“Love? Love?” he chuckled before pushing to his feet, stalking around the fire toward you. “You want to tell me that they loved me? Abandoning me? My mother was never home--I was raised by our butler! He’s probably working with you--Cecil Threepio? She cares for him more than me. And my father? Gone. All the time. One day, just packed up his stuff and went. So don’t talk to me about love.”

 

Rey rose to her feet as he shouted and held his gaze, steady and true. She did not waver. She stood so close to him that he could smell the honeysuckle that he had come to associate with her, buried underneath the sweat and the dirt and the smokiness of the fire. He inhaled deeply. 

 

“There is such a thing as forgiveness.” 

 

Kylo snorted. “Could you forgive your parents?”   
  


“I could try.” Her lips pressed together and her body was a taut line of resolve. Kylo could full well believe that she would try.  That for her, grace was something that could exist. 

 

He wondered if it could exist between them. 

 

His lips twitched, a gesture toward a smile, and recognizing how close they stood to one another, she took a step back.  They continued to watch one another, wary but curious, like a wolf and a wild cat at the same watering hole. Kylo kept his mouth shut. His heart prickled with the old heat and he idly scratched at his chest. Rey turned away. 

 

“Dinner is burning,” was all she said as she returned to her seat. A moment later, Kylo followed. 

 

He didn’t quite know how to characterize what was growing between them. They shared an intimate knowledge of one another from the close quarters. He had glimpsed the arch of her back one night when he returned too early from a hunting trip and found her switching shirts. At night, as he watched her sleep, he found himself remembering the way the setting sun had captured the golden quality of her skin, the way the tips of her hair brushed along the nape of her neck, the delicate way she slid her hands down her back and groaned as she stretched. 

 

He was infatuated, alright. 

 

Kylo gathered the items from the stream where he was washing them and decided to take advantage of the warm morning to clean off some of the dirt clinging to his skin. He quickly stripped and tossed his clothes to the side. Sucking his breath between his teeth, he sloshed out into the stream, ducking quickly into the cold water. He let out a shuddering cry as he emerged and shook water from his eyes. 

 

He scrubbed his skin quickly, the bracing cold zipping along his spine, and sending him hunching over the water. He thought about his  razor and the soap back at camp but rapidly splashed water and rubbed key areas. And then he turned back to return to shore. 

 

Where Rey was sitting on his clothes, hand shading her eyes. 

 

Kylo quickly sank to his knees in the water. 

 

“Lovely day for a swim,” she called. He could make out a cheeky grin on her face and he pursed his lips, unsure whether to snarl or to laugh. Instead, he made an odd choking sound and clasped his hands in front of his cock. 

 

“Rey,” he warned and she laughed, a merry sound. Kylo found it difficult to swallow. 

 

“This is quite fun,” she admitted cheerfully. “Now I have the upperhand. I wonder how long you can stand that cold water.”

 

“I wonder why you think that shame is something that affects me,” he retorted. She raised a brow and her lips curved upward in an amused smile. Growling, Kylo stood up and strode to shore. Her mouth dropped open and he let his hands fall to his sides. Two could play this game, he thought. 

 

He expected her to avert her eyes but she took in his full form, a slight blush spreading across her cheeks as he came to stop in front of her. 

 

“Well?” he demanded, gesturing to the clothes beneath her. Water dripped from him down to trousers and she cleared her throat. He exuded triumphant in this little game. 

 

“I thought it would be bigger,”  she said quite clearly, as she rose. Astonishment flooded him as she smirked down at him, letting him see that her gaze rested on his rather cold manhood, as she strolled away. And if he wasn’t mistaken, there was a slight sashay to her hips. 

 

Recovering quickly, he called after her, “It’s cold!” 

 

“That’s what they all say!” she yelled back as she disappeared into the thicket. Swearing, Kylo shook his head and wondered what the hell kind of camp his mother was running that Rey could make that kind of comment. And then, upon reflection of her few comments about her childhood, he could imagine some sort of exposure to that. A part of him argued that he should be repulsed by such knowledge, by such unlady like behavior. But then again, he didn’t want to bury his face between her thighs because she was a lady--quite the opposite in fact. 

 

Chuckling to himself, Kylo dressed and realized that she had raised the stakes today. And he couldn’t wait for his turn for revenge. 

 

The rest of the day, they slowly picked their way through a crumbling canyon, often guiding their horses rather than riding them. They kept up a light banter throughout. She was charming and amiable, witty and daring. She could read the canyon as well as any guide and averted them from a dangerous turn more than once. And she had strong opinions on everything from the First Order to ruffles on gowns to the growing sport of baseball. 

 

“It’s absolutely ridiculous,” she declared as they exited the canyon.  And to their relief, it dumped them out near a train station which advertised a bath house. 

 

“You probably just can’t play,” was Kylo’s snobbish reply. She spluttered after him, declaring that she could throw as well as any man. Overhead, clouds rolled toward them at an alarming speed and she glanced up. 

 

“Thunderstorm coming,” she remarked as she mounted her horse. “We should take advantage of the bath house.” A sly smile broke across her face. “Well, you might see it as an advantage.” 

 

“Wildcat, one day your tongue is gonna take you places you don’t know if you want to be,” he replied and with a yell, she urged her horse into a heady gallop down to the bath house. 

Where they both met with quite a surprise. 

 

“Only got enough for one bath today,” the proprietor said, hitching up her skirts. She was heavily pregnant and Kylo found himself jumping out of the way of her belly more than once. “But two men, you don’t mind sharing? Cowboys normally don’t. Or whoever takes second will have a cold and muddy bath.”

 

“Oh, we’re fine,” Kylo said. “After all, this is my little cousin.” And with a wink, Kylo followed the owner to be enveloped in the steam of the hot bath. A string of curses followed. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can really hear Adam Driver shouting "It's cold!" hahaha
> 
> One more chapter left and that's all I wrote for this for the charity antho.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is NSFW.

“Since I’m a gentleman, I’ll let you get in first,” Kylo said. Rey glowered at him but disappeared around the corner to strip. A large wooden tub, as high as Kylo’s chest, sat in the middle of the room. A crackling fire took up one side of the room, stacked full of logs, and pouring heat into the space. He wanted to lounge in the water and take the time to shave and to care for his hair. He pulled out his shampoo and products from his saddle bag, lining them on the shelf next to the tub.  

 

“Do not turn around,” Rey commanded. Making a noise of assent, Kylo held still. He heard a rush and a splash. And then: 

 

“Alright, you can look now. And don’t get too close when you get in.”  He twisted his head to see her mostly submerged in the water and rubbing soap vigorously between her hands to add suds to the water. Kylo gestured toward his items. 

 

“Feel free to use any of that,” he said. And then he quickly stripped. Rey turned away this time and he bit back a smile. “Not sure you want to see me again?” He slipped into the water, thinking that he couldn’t stop himself from teasing her and, perhaps, that was a problem. 

 

“Not much there to see,” she shot back. And he laughed, leaning back against the tub. There were small seats placed throughout where they could sit and keep their head above water. Outside, thunder thrashed overhead and brief gusts of wind whistled through the gaps in the walls. They sat in silence, listening to the storm battling with the crackling of the fire for a few moments, with Rey eyeing him warily across the dim room. 

 

“I’ve never been in a bathhouse like this before.”

 

“It’s from Japan,” Kylo told her. “I visited it when the country first opened with my mother who was part of a diplomatic mission there.”  Rey made a noncommittal noise so he continued, “There, people bathe together more frequently. Although, there, you wash yourself first before you step into the bath as it is considered a mental exercise in relaxation more than a cleansing one.” She seemed to be listening so he continued to describe his trip there as a child, admitting that there were things that he didn’t quite understand when he was younger, but that he had developed a love for the baths. 

 

“It is quite soothing,” Rey murmured. The water was cooling now but the air was still heavy and balmy from the fire. He nodded and dipped his head in the water. The next few moments they spent washing up and he caught her peeking at him over her shoulder. To be honest, he was entranced by her frank looks as he lathered up and scrubbed at his face. 

 

“Do you want some help with that?” she asked as he propped a small mirror up on the shelf by the tub. He was mixing together shaving cream and he paused. 

 

“Do you even know…” his words dried in his mouth at the heated look in her face, a hungering tilt to her mouth. He swallowed and tracked her eyes following the workings of his throat. 

 

“I won’t cut too deeply. Or often.” Her whispered words barely carried over the popping of the fire as wood crashed into the grate. Kylo shivered as Rey crossed the tub. The only way for her to reach his face fully, he thought wildly, as she stood up in the water, her breasts emerging and his throat was so dry, his mouth hanging open, and his brain ran into a dead stop. 

 

He was pretty sure he was going to die. 

 

And then, with a quick duck of her head, as if embarrassed by his reaction and not her glorious nudity, Rey reached for the brush and shaving cup. She swirled the cream a few more times to thicken it before raising the brush toward his face. She hesitated once and his lips quirked upward. 

 

“I trust you,” he said, barely sure that he had spoken. But she smiled so brightly that she stepped closer, her breast brushing his arm, and began to layer the cream upon his face. 

 

“Is it better that I sit?” he asked, unable to tear his gaze away from her sun flushed face, her freckles a promising trail for his lips to follow. She nodded and he sat, aware that he could lean forward and take a pert nipple in his mouth. He could see her body tightening, a rosy flush creeping up her chest and he licked his lips. She nudged his knees aside and stepped closer and he knew that she had to feel his hardness brush her thigh. 

 

Making a slight tsking noise, Rey returned the shaving cup to the shelf and took up the straight razor. 

 

“Hold still,” she said. And he forced his gaze upward, all too aware of when her delicate skin skimmed his own, all too aware of the way it felt when her tit dragged across his flesh , as she leaned closer to inspect the blade sliding down his jaw. Her ragged breathing rivaled his own, almost drowned out by the scraping of the blade against his skin and the sizzle of the fire as it consumed the wood. 

 

Kylo risked it as she neared the end of the job. His gaze flicked down at her and he found her gazing at him raptly. He sat forward, hissing as the blade nicked his cheek. 

 

“Why did you--”she began. But then his mouth seized hers and swallowed whatever she was going to say. 

 

He expected a protest but received only an eager response, hands fisting in his hair, her mouth eagerly opening as his tongue entreated entrance.  He slid his hands up to cup her breasts and she whimpered, barely protesting when he pulled her the small distance to straddle his lap. She tasted heavenly, her breath sweet and minty, and the honeysuckle scent that he had begun to think of as Rey assailed his senses as he began to wander from her mouth to her jawline, to her ears, to the curve of her throat, the strength in her shoulders. 

 

Kylo pulled back to look at her, seizing the opportunity to cradle her face in his hands. She was an intoxicating mix of fervor and apprehension, of wit and courage, of wisdom and naivety. Her hands were as calloused as his but her cheeks delicate and smooth.  

 

“Stop,” she rasped. 

 

“Stop what?”

 

“Looking at me like that.”

 

“Like what?”

 

“Like I’m dinner. Or a piece of art. I’m just Rey.” Her lips trembled and her chin lifted. Kylo drew his thumb along the little dimple in it and kissed the corner of her mouth. She inhaled sharply. 

 

“Rey, my darling, you are all of those things. And so much more.” And he dipped his head, tongue flicking against her nipple. She shuddered but did not draw away. Emboldened, he enveloped her nipple, tugging and licking, groaning at the silky feel on his tongue. She arched against him, nails digging into his shoulder, biting back a whimper. He swept his tongue along the tight bud and lavished kisses along the soft mound, pulling back to lave attention on the other nipple, one thumb guiding along the taut flesh, kneading gently, while his mouth sucked and savored the other. She quivered against him, burying her face into his hair, muffling her small pants and moans. 

 

“Kylo,” she breathed and he groaned loudly. He knew he wouldn’t be satisfied until he tasted all of her. He stood abruptly and she clung to him, a wild and wicked grin on her face. He turned and sat her on the ledge of the tub, out of the water, and knelt on the tub seat. Rey’s mouth opened in shock as he opened her legs and began to plant feathery kisses along her thighs. 

 

“Kylo…” the warning was thick in her voice. 

 

“I locked the door and blocked it with a chair,” he assured her. 

 

“Bold of you to assume.” He looked up and caught the pleased gleam in her eye. She smiled at him, then, a soft one, radiating happiness. “No one has ever looked at me like you have.”

 

“Then they were fools,” he replied bluntly. “I’ve never been more enchanted than the night I discovered your ruse. And, well, by your mouth.” She giggled, the first time he heard her make that sound, and warmth diffused through him. Licking her lips, she nodded. 

 

“I trust you.” His own words repeated back to him sent shivers down his spine. Kylo reached up and ran his thumb along her bottom lip. 

 

“Tell me if it doesn’t feel good,” he ordered and returned to her thigh, leaving a long line of kisses up both legs, exploring the back of her knees with his lips, hands gliding along the tightening skin. Her breathing hitched as he neared the apex of her thighs, watching the heady look in her eyes. With a quick look of confirmation, Kylo grazed her pussy, slick with need, and Rey squirmed. 

 

He slipped between her thighs,  throwing one over his shoulder, as his finger fluttered against the soft skin. She watched him, lips pressed together, hips rocking against his touch. He found the tight bud and skimmed it, watching the look of delight run across her face. He kept up the light touches, always watching her; her knuckles whitening as she gripped the tub’s ledge, the sucking of her bottom lip, the ecstasy beginning to steal along her features. 

 

And when he felt her impatience begin to rise, he leaned into her, his tongue darting to tease her. Rey let out a small yelp, an exclamation of both shame and want, and Kylo pressed forward, tongue delving among her folds, licking, the tip of his tongue swirling along her clit. Her thighs clenched around him, fingers nesting into his hair, and she wantonly rolled against him, soft little whimpers urging him forward. He felt her when she came--she held back her cry, turning into a long low moan, his name at the end of it, his tongue lapping all of her juices as he allowed his ravenous hunger for her to drive his every move. 

 

Kylo wanted more, so much more, his cock straining, a deep ache building within him. But he pulled away, allowed himself to be satisfied by her kiss swollen lips, her mussed hair, and half lidded eyes.

 

Rey surprised him by sliding into the water and pressing against him, her mouth seeking his, a string of sudden, hard kisses, teeth scraping against his bottom lip, as her hand tightened around his cock. She stroked and massaged, her thumb gliding over his tip, her other hand cupping, a feather light stroke across his balls. She left a rain of kisses along his skin, tasting and teasing, as she trailed down his chest to take a nipple between her teeth. He hissed, his hips jerking in her hands, as she pulled and licked, her hands an insistent presence until he tumbled into her, spurting into the sudsy water. 

 

Rey let out a low, pleased laugh and Kylo took her face in his hands. 

 

“You didn’t need to--”

 

“I wanted to,” she cut him off and turned to kiss his palm. Kylo groaned. 

 

“Rey, you will be the death of me.” She laughed again and he wrapped his arms around her. They floated together, kissing and exploring, until the water was too cool. He stoked up the fire and they dressed by the heat of it, taking their time to touch and to discover. He found a sweet mole above her right butt cheek. She found the scar from a terrible battle and slowly ran her thumb over it, followed by a brief kiss to the knotted tissue. He sighed in reluctance as she brushed her hair back into an approximation of a male haircut. 

 

And, as lightning forked across the sky, they settled on the floor, hands clasped together, to wait out the storm. And Kylo realized he would need to tell her the truth, someday. He would need to tell her before Luke. She rested her head on his shoulder and he pulled her closer. She threw her leg over his, giving a drowsy sigh. He pressed his lips to her temple. 

 

And realized he was happy. Truly content. 

 

And that nothing would keep him from her, that he would do whatever it would take to be by her side. 

 

Forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is all that I wrote for the Reylo Charity Anthology. Many thanks again to angstywritersangst for being a wonderful beta. And thank you all for joining me on this ride! 
> 
> I don't know if I'll continue it. My notes show it getting darker as they neared Tulsa.


End file.
